Today, talkgroup affiliation is triggered by an end user device affiliating to the talkgroup based on a pre-configuration of the talkgroups or based on a user-defined talkgroup scanning list (for example, in Land Mobile Radio (LMR) talkgroups communications). Motorola Push-to-Talk (MPTT) supports an implicit affiliation of a client device to all talkgroups on a talkgroup list when the client registers with a Push-to-Talk (PTT) server. MPTT also supports the client device informing the PTT server of the client device's scan list. When a user is using multiple client devices, there is the possibility that the user may receive multiple audio streams via the multiple client devices as part of a same talkgroup session, which wastes system bandwidth and air interface resources and can result in confusion for the user. Further, when a user of a shared (among multiple users) mobile device, such as a police radio, leaves the shared mobile device “on” at the end of the user's shift, the shared mobile device remains affiliated to the user's talkgroups even after the shift ends, thereby consuming resources in the user's base site (for example, Multicast-Broadcast Single-Frequency Network (MBSFN) resources).
Therefore, there is a need to provide an automated set of affiliation/de-affiliation procedures for PTT mobile devices.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that references to specific implementation embodiments such as “circuitry” may equally be accomplished via replacement with software instruction executions either on general purpose computing apparatus (e.g., CPU) or specialized processing apparatus (e.g., DSP). It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.